Development of Titanium‐Based Nanocomposites Incorporating Silver Nanoparticles: A Novel Approach for Antibacterial and Biocompatible Materials in Dental Implants

ABSTRACT Bacterial biofilms such as Streptococcus mutans are the primary reason for dental cavities, resulting from acid production that demineralizes tooth enamel. Titanium‐based nanocomposites have been developed in this study with enhanced antibacterial properties for dental use. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) at varying concentrations were incorporated into titanium oxide (TiO 2 ) to develop three nanocomposite samples via sintering. The developed nanocomposite samples were characterized for corrosion resistance, surface roughness, and degradability. The findings showed that AgNPs reinforcement did not affect corrosion properties. Besides, the addition of 2 wt.% AgNPs created the protective layer and increased surface roughness from 2.55 to 3.415 µm. Degradation was not observed in artificial saliva or deionized water. Surprisingly, the developed nanocomposite samples showed no antibacterial activity, whereas the precursor mixtures exhibited significant antibacterial effects—99.13% inhibition in sample 1 and 99.99% in samples 2 and 3 against S. mutans . All the samples showed over 95% cell viability in cytotoxicity analysis, which indicates excellent biocompatibility and safety for human use. These findings suggest that while the final composites lacked direct antibacterial function, their precursor forms are highly effective, and all formulations demonstrated strong potential for use in dental and other biomedical implants due to their safety, corrosion resistance, and mechanical properties.